By the wording of the response it seems like xp will be gained by accomplishment instead of real-time training ala EVE. I guess either system works so I'm interested to see exactly how theirs is put together and what limits the upper bar for a player (a generic cap on total skill points, or just max out everything, or some other less silly balancing measure)

But its also nice to see more confirmation that 'level's will basically not exist in the game. They had officially said they were leaning towards the a skill based system, and these responses indicate that more than ever. So I'd call that good news.

Indeed. Levels are just too arbitrary for a Star Trek game, after all you do have to EARN those captain's pips, right?

"GVK: Will anyone from the series of films show up and provide voices?

CZ: In 2409, most of the major characters have retired or moved on. We’re exploring ways to involve some of the actors from the films and series in the game, but they might not be playing “their” characters."

Interesting. So what could it mean? Would we have Alexander Rozhenko or Miral Paris (for instance) appearing and voiced by the actors playing either the father or mother? Or would the main actors just have a cameo?

"GVK: How will player deaths be handled in the game?

CZ: We’re not ready to provide exact details, but the defeat penalty won’t be harsh. I think we’re past the days of outrageous death penalties in MMOs. People want to play and have fun."

So presumably no blown up ships?

"GVK: How will missions and tasks be assigned, and will command characters be based on player level?

CZ: There are a variety of ways you will get missions and tasks. You may receive hails from ships in distress or planets that need help or you could have a task assigned to you by Starfleet or the Klingon Defense Force. And as you explore the universe, you’ll find points of interest that can lead to a new adventure or problem to solve."

Good. I like that structure. More or less like the show.

"GVK: Will the Borg or known enemies from the past series be in the game?

CZ: Definitely! You’ll see many of the familiar races from the series. It wouldn’t be Star Trek without trying to figure out how to penetrate the shields on a Borg cube or what to do to stop a Romulan plot."

XD Yay!

"GVK: Is ship navigation and combat in real-time?

CZ: If you mean instead of turn-based, then yes. If you mean “true to life,” it’s not exactly like that. We don’t want you to have to spend 16 hours warping from one system to another. That’s not fun."

Makes sense. It's only 1x time during battle, otherwise they speed it up.

"GVK: Will players be able to pilot shuttles in the game and use transporters? If so, how will this work?

CZ: Most of the time, you and your away team will use the transporters. You’ll be beaming all over the place! There will be some content that you need a shuttle to reach, but you won’t be manually flying the shuttle through the atmosphere and landing on the surface of a planet."

Oh rats! I was REALLY hoping to do shuttle runs!

"GVK: How do you address the issue of players dropping out of game during ship missions, as I can imagine losing your helmsman or tactical officer during a firefight could be tough?

CZ: In space, each player is the captain of their own ship. So if they drop connection, it’s like a player logging out of any MMO. On an away team, if a player drops out of your team you can replace him or her with one of your bridge officers.

GVK: Final question how do you plan to address player waits during travel times between destinations and how many planets will be open for players to explore and travel to?

CZ: Players will have a lot to do during travel. They’ll be outfitting their crew for upcoming adventures, chatting with their teammates and looking for new places to explore. We don’t want to make travel between systems onerous."